It is just as important to work with a reputable breeder when buying a pet / companion as it is when buying a show/breeding stock dog. The pet will be a part of your family for13 to 15 years, get the best bred mind, personality and temperament that you can find!

A Reputable Breeder will not sell their puppies to every persons interested. You should not be offended when asked about your lifestyle. The conscientious breeder will ask you many questions to find out if their breed is a breed that will fit well into your lifestyle and family. They will screen you carefully. They will refuse a sale rather than place a puppy in a questionable situation. If the breeder does not question you closely about your home, your family, how many hours a day you are at work and your expectations of the dog, beware!

We are committed to breeding excellence. The personality of a dog is something that you will be living with for many years and is part of the "overall package" of our breeding program! Don't be afraid to ask questions; make a list as you think of things to ask. Bringing an Aussie into your home is a wonderful experience that will change your life forever. Your Aussie will bring you a lifetime of happiness, companionship, devotion and love. We would be happy to help you achieve that goal. If we do not have any litters available when you are shopping, we have contact with several reputable breeders that do. Our goal is to put good dogs with good people!! If you have found another breeder, hopefully the information that we have supplied will be helpful to you to make sure that you get the puppy that is most suited to you and your family.

COMPACT CLASSIC AUSSIE puppies are evaluated using a set format designed by the world renowned dog breeder and judge Pat Hasitngs. It is an intensive evaluation that we use at COMPACT CLASIC AUSSIES. During this evaluation the puppies are also temperament tested. Our standards are very high and only the puppies with the highest scores get rated as show/breeding stock. That means that many puppies that others would rate as good show quality dogs are rated as pet quality here. Our goal is to raise litters that are consistent enough that the difference between show/ breeding stock and pet/companion quality to the average dog owner is so slight that it is hard to tell the difference. The temperament testing portion of the evaluation is as important as the structural portion, so the breeder can place the puppies in the correct households. If your breeder does not mention that their puppies get temperament tested in their evaluation, beware!

A Reputable Breeder should be willing to take the time to make sure that all of your questions get answered. No breed is perfect for everyone. The responsible breeder wants to be absolutely sure that you really want and are prepared to care for this kind of dog for the life of the dog, not just during the "cute puppy stage". They should discuss with you the genetic deficiencies of the breed and at what ages they need to be tested. They should be willing to become your mentor. I've been very fortunate to have started with several good mentors including the founder and past President of the Toy Australian Shepherd Association of America, Ruth Vanderhoof! These people continue to be invaluable assets as we strive to improve the lines of our Toy Australian Shepherds.

A Reputable Breeder only produces a litter with the goal of improving their breed in mind. They do not breed multiple litters because a breed has become popular and puppy buyers are eager to buy. Pay special attention to this, as Toy and Miniature Australian Shepherds are presently a very popular breed and there are many back yard breeders and puppy mills breeding puppies indiscriminately, just to make money.

A reputable breeder does not breed simply because they have a female and their friend has a male so they decided to have and sell a litter of puppies. It is very important when buying an Australian Shepherd of any size that you find a breeder familiar with how much herding instinct there is in the history of their bloodlines and what the temperament of the puppies are. If a breeder takes this lightly, and does not discuss this with you when helping to pick out your puppy, beware! The amount of herding instinct in the bloodlines that the breeder is using will influence the personality of the puppies. You may want more or less herding instinct depending on your lifestyle. This is another reason for the breeder to know the background of the pedigrees of their dogs.

A Reputable Breeder will take the time to explain what their breeding program is about; why they are breeding the dogs that they are, and what their program is doing to help improve their breed. They should have a good knowledge of the background of the pedigrees of their dogs, their positive and negative traits and the temperament history of their pedigrees.

You should be able to go back to your breeder at any time with any questions! They should be able to offer you book titles and websites to further your education on the breed. The bottom line is: look for a breeder that is will to teach you all you want to know about the breed, that wants to help you get the most out of your dog, and that wants to help you succeed in the show ring if you are looking for a show puppy. If the breeder does not offer continuing support, beware of why they want to sell you a puppy!

A Reputable Breeder will sell only healthy stock, and guaranteed for some reasonable time after the sale. See the "CONTRACT" page on this website. The breeder should always supply a contract. It is not only for the breeders benefit, it should have the buyers interest in mind, also. This is a partnership. Look at the one on our "CONTRACT" page as an example. This has BOTH parties in mind. The breeder should give you a copy with both of your signatures on it for your records.

A Reputable Breeder will not sell a puppy under the age of 8 weeks and will have the puppy's structure fully evaluated and temperament tested within 3 days either side of 8 weeks. *See the MUST READ page on our website for information on vaccinations. They should have been dewormed. Ask the breeder how they evaluate their litters to decide show/breeding stock from pet quality.